PRUSSIAN ARMY PILOT’S BADGE – STICKPIN

SKU: 11-447

$125.00

This is an interesting example of the Prussian Army Pilot’s Badge stickpin. The badge is a smaller version than we usually see. The detail is amazingly strong, even with the smaller size. The stickpin’s badge measures a diminutive 1/2″ x 1/2.” The pin is knurled, as is typical the era’s stickpins.

Description

This is an interesting example of the Prussian Army Pilot’s Badge stickpin. The badge is a smaller version than we usually see. The detail is amazingly strong, even with the smaller size. The stickpin’s badge measures a diminutive 1/2″ x 1/2.” The pin is knurled, as is typical the era’s stickpins.

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VETERAN GROUP STICKPIN

SKU: 28-10

$95.00

This is a very high-quality stickpin for a veteran’s group. It celebrates ten years of participation in the group. The stickpin is quite elaborate, colorful, and well made. It is quite large for a stickpin.

ENGRAVED NAVY LAND PLANE PILOT BADGE

SKU: 11-518

$2,495.00

Today we are offering an interesting naval Land Plane Pilot Badge. The badge was used by the pilots of the Marine Jastas that flew in Flanders against France and Great Britain’s air services. The badge was first authorized in 1915. By WW I’s end, two Navy Plane Geschwaders had been created and had contributed to the air war, along with their Army brethren. The badge’s obverse depicts an albatross flying beneath a bright sun and over a walled city on the ocean. Surrounding this scene is an oak and laurel leaf wreath, topped by an open Hohenzollern Crown. The reverse features horizontal engraving containing the information listed below.

1*7
1 M F F A
1917
*[The 1 sports an unusual added fillip on its top left side].

The reverse’s pin is flat, as is often the case on a one-piece-massive Navy flight badge. The badge is in topnotch condition, overall. It displays a very pleasing patina.

This is a consignment item. It is a high-quality Prussian Army Pilot Badge from the workshops of noted Berlin firm C. E. Juncker. Many people do not realize that Juncker was more than an aviation flight badge-maker (although it produced some of Germany’s finest badges). In fact, C. E. Juncker was a full-line military effects firm favored by many German military officers. It even was responsible for the ultra-high-quality pickelhauben employed by the Regiment des Garde du Corps, the Kaiser’s personal guard. [These metal Küraßier helmets were impressive, with their long “lobstertail” rear visors that helped protected their wearers’ necks from sword slashes. The massive Hohenzollern Eagles that topped their full-parade-configuration helmets only increased their splendor]. Still, their reputation for producing excellent flight badges is well deserved.
Three different types of flight badges were produced. The basic flight badge was stamped (cliche). If you are familiar with Imperial German Army and Navy Wound Badges (stamped out by high pressure machines), this is the same design. The second type (a step up) was the one-piece massive design. These solid badges were manufactured from a single piece of metal. The third, and highest-quality flight badge, was the two-piece hollow design. These badges were made from two separate metal pieces that were then soldered together. A weep hole on the badge’s reverse allowed the gases produced during the soldering process to escape. Our C. E. Juncker flight badge is an excellent example of this third design.
The badge’s obverse features a laurel and oak leaf wreath joined together at its bottom by a bow. A Taube monoplane soars over the countryside within the wreath. [The Prussian Army Pilot Badge was authorized in 1913, when the Germans still commonly employed the Taube]. The badge is topped by a Hohenzollern Crown. While the badge was designated as Prussian, it was authorized to be worn by all of the Reich’s aviators, with the exception of Bavaria. Bavaria produced its own flight badge, whose only difference from the Prussian example was a Wittelsbach rather than a Hohenzollern Crown. [The Bavarians always had to be different]!
The badge’s reverse features a plain back rather than a rayback design. I actually see rayback designs more frequently than the plain backs. The badge’s pin is in excellent condition. If you look at it closely, you can see that is not totally straight. This is a sign that the pin pierced a woolen tunic’s tough fabric. When you lift the pin up at the top, a small weep hole can be seen. As previously mentioned, it is a key factor in identifying a two-piece badge. The C. E. Juncker hallmark appears just above the pin’s catch, with the crescent moon, Hohenzollern Crown and .800 silver hallmarks below that of the firm.

The badge is in prime condition with a marvelous patina that has not been disturbed in decades.

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About Us

I'm Kenneth (Ken) J. Greenfield, currently of New Port Richey, Florida, located on the West Coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area. I started out as a collector of Imperial German Militaria, particularly items dealing with the Imperial German Air Service in the early 1960's. After more than forty years of avid collecting, I began to sell a few items to upgrade my collection and help finance my collecting "habit." I attended militaria shows, both to buy and sell. I wanted to spend more time at home and less traveling for the national companies that I had worked for; so, starting my own business seemed like an attractive alternative. I like nothing better than talking with others about militaria, and introducing newcomers to the joys of owning a "piece of history."